In a competition between sequels at the box office, “The Devil Wears Prada 2” narrowly outperformed “Mortal Kombat II” in North American theaters this weekend. Studio estimates from Sunday showed that “The Devil Wears Prada 2” made a leading $43 million during its second weekend, whereas “Mortal Kombat II” earned $40 million in its opening week.
This weekend featured a broad range of new releases, including the family-oriented mystery “The Sheep Detectives” and a concert film directed by James Cameron featuring Billie Eilish.
But it was the continuation that emerged victorious. “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” which has earned $433.2 million worldwide in its initial 12 days of release, contributed to Walt Disney Studios surpassing $2 billion globally for the year. It has also outperformed the first film’s total earnings, which reached $327 million worldwide in 2006, without considering inflation.
Paul Dergarabedian, who leads marketplace trends at Comscore, mentioned that Mother’s Day could have given “Prada” an edge over the new release, resulting in a relatively small 44% drop in earnings during the second weekend.
The launch date was ideal,” Dergarabedian stated. “This could be the new model for kicking off a summer.
“Street Fighter II” offered some gender-specific competition during the second weekend of Hollywood’s summer film schedule. Warner Bros. released the film in 3,503 locations, attracting a predominantly male audience. According to PostTrak, 75% of the ticket purchasers were men. “The Devil Wears Prada 2” had nearly the opposite gender distribution on its opening weekend.
The initial film in this franchise, “Mortal Kombat,” debuted in cinemas and on HBO Max in April 2021 as part of Warner Bros.’ approach during the pandemic. The sequel received varied reviews, similar to its B CinemaScore. It also generated $23 million from 78 international markets, resulting in a $63 million worldwide opening.
“Michael” secured third place during its third weekend, earning an additional $36.5 million over the weekend, a decline of just 33% compared to the previous week. The biographical film about Michael Jackson has accumulated $240.5 million in North America, exceeding the total domestic earnings of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and has reached $577.4 million worldwide.
The fourth position was claimed by Amazon MGM Studios’ “The Sheep Detectives,” which earned $15.9 million during its opening weekend across 3,457 theaters. This unique, family-friendly mystery film boasts a notable cast featuring Hugh Jackman, Emma Thompson, and Nicholas Braun, along with the voices of Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bryan Cranston, Regina Hall, and Patrick Stewart as the sheep attempting to solve the murder of their shepherd. Viewers awarded it an A- CinemaScore. The film had a production budget of approximately $75 million.
Completing the top five was “Billie Eilish — Hit Me Hard & Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D),” an engaging live performance that Cameron co-directed with Eilish. Paramount premiered the film in 2,613 theaters, generating $7.5 million within North America and $12.6 million globally. The film received excellent reviews from critics (93% on Rotten Tomatoes) and audiences, who awarded it an A CinemaScore.
Project Hail Mary,” in its eighth week, and “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” in its sixth week, are still performing well — resulting in a weekend that is much higher compared to the same period last year. Dergarabedian noted that movies which are succeeding and attracting both new and returning viewers each week are those providing “pure, escape-oriented entertainment.
“This is going extremely well for movie theaters at the moment,” he stated.
Top 10 films based on domestic box office revenue
With the final domestic numbers announced on Monday, this list includes the projected ticket sales from Friday to Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, as reported by Comscore:
1. “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” generating $43 million.
2. “Mortal Kombat II,” $40 million.
3. “Michael,” $36.5 million.
4. “The Sheep Detectives,” $15.9 million.
5. “Billie Eilish—Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour,” generating $7.5 million.
6. “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” generating $6.6 million.
7. “Project Hail Mary,” generating $6.1 million.
8. “Hokum,” $3.3 million.
9. “Deep Water,” $780,274.
10. “Animal Farm,” $663,624.
